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Informist, Thursday, Aug. 21, 2025                                      Tel +91 (22) 6985-4000

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Equity Alert: Barring Japan, all Asian markets rise; Kospi top gainer

 

MUMBAI--0810 IST--Equity indices in Asia were mixed in early trade Thursday with those in South Korea and Australia leading the gains. Meanwhile, Japan's Nikkei 225 and Topix fell in early trade. Investors in the region now await US Federal Reserve Jerome Powell's speech at Jackson Hole, Wyoming, on Friday.   

 

Japanese indices extended losses from Wednesday as sentiment was hit post a weaker-than-expected trade data. Japan's exports fell 2.6% on year in July, with exports to the US falling over 10%, as per a CNBC report. The 2.6% drop in exports was more than the 2.1% expected by a Reuters poll. At 0809 IST, Nikkei was down 0.4% and Topix was down 0.5%. 

 

South Korea's Kospi snapped a three-day losing run and was nearly 1% higher. The index has fallen 3% since Monday. Meanwhile, Australia's S&P ASX 200 was up almost 1% and was higher for the second straight session. China's CSI 300 was also in the positive territory and was 0.6% higher, while Hong Kong's Hang Seng was marginally higher. 

 

Powell's speech at Jackson Hole will be tracked for cues on chances of a rate cut at the central bank's September meeting. Any comments on the outlook of the US economy will also be keenly eyed. On Thursday, the CME FedWatch Tool showed the probability of a 25-basis-point rate cut in September at 82%, down from 87?ay ago. 

 

Following were the levels of key Asian indices at 0809 IST:

 

INDEX	LEVEL	CHANGE IN %
CSI 300 Index	4298.1347	0.63
Hang Seng Index	25190.13	0.1
Nikkei 225 Day	42704.04	(-)0.43
TOPIX FIRST SECTION	3084.79	(-)0.46
KOSPI	3162.38	1.03
FTSE Singapore Strait Times	4222.7	0.07
S&P/ASX 200 Index	8995.6	0.87

 

 

(Gopika Balasubramanium)

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Equity Alert: Sell-off continues in tech-heavy Nasdaq; Powell's speech eyed

 

 

MUMBAI--0720 IST--The technology-heavy Nasdaq Composite index extended losses and ended in the red on Wednesday, with investors shedding shares of technology companies due to concerns about demand for aritificial intelligence in the future. The two other benchmark US indices – Dow Jones Industrial Average and Nasdaq Composite – ended largely muted. Traders will now track Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell's speech at the Jackson Hole Symposium on Friday. 

 

The Nasdaq fell 0.7% to close at 21172.857 points and the S&P 500 closed 0.2% lower at 6395.78 points. The Dow Jones Industrial Average ended Wednesday's session marginally higher at 44938.31 points.

 

Weakness in technology stocks was likely due to concerns about rich valuations and as investors turned risk-averse, exiting their profitable positions. US President Donald Trump's increasing influence over tech companies also made investors rethink their bets. US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick is looking into the government buying equity stakes in Intel and other chip-makers, Reuters reported, quoting two people in the know. This was in exchange for grants under the 'CHIPS Act', the report said.

 

"Technology in general is up 40% from its April lows, and the group clearly got ahead of itself," said Art Hogan, market strategist, B. Riley Wealth Management. "Also, if there's anything to the market consensus that we'll see a Fed rate cut, then there will be room for other things to work as well – and there are 493 other stocks in the S&P 500 that are lagging the Mag 7 right now. So, I think there's a bit of a rotation," he added.

 

Minutes from the US Fed's July meeting, where interest rates were held at 4.25-4.50%, showed it appropriate to maintain the target range for the federal funds rate, despite two objections. Powell's remarks on the near-term outlook for interest rates will be keenly watched as traders are almost fully pricing in a rate cut at the September meeting.  

 

Following are the closing levels of US indices Wednesday:

 

INDEX	LAST LEVEL	CHANGE IN %
Dow Jones Industrial Average	44938.31	0.04
NASDAQ Composite	21172.86	(-)0.67
S&P 500	6395.78	(-)0.24

 

(Gopika Balasubramanium)

 

US$1 = INR 86.07

 

End

 

Edited by Tanima Banerjee

 

All prices from National Stock Exchange, unless otherwise specified.

All percentage changes for share prices are rounded off to the nearest whole number; percentage changes for index values are rounded off to one decimal place.

All times are Indian Standard Time.

 

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